Ranchi, Jan. 12: Treading cautiously, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha today picked central committee members while releasing the list of eight candidates for the first phase of elections.

The party has decided to contest nine seats in the first phase of polling on February 3, but it is still undecided on whom to field in Panki.

This is apparently because the sitting MLA from the seat happens to be Madhu Singh who has since joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal. With discussions still on over seat-sharing between the Congress, RJD and the Left, the name of the Panki candidate has been withheld by the party.

The ticket for Mandu constituency, which was vacated after JMM legislator Teklal Mahato won the Lok Sabha election from Giridih, has been given to his nephew Ram Prakash.

The party has decided to field central committee member Nizamuddin Ansari from Dhanwar. This could make the going easy for the industries minister Ravindra Rai as the anti-BJP votes are likely to split between the JMM and the CPI(M-L).

Nagendra Mahato has been fielded from Bagodar, considered the bastion of the CPI (M-L)'s Mahendra Prasad Singh. Party general secretary Munna Lal has been fielded against Chandra Mohan Prasad of the BJP in Giridih.

The ticket for the Naxalite-dominated Dumri constituency has been allotted to Jagannnath Mahato. Deepak Oraon has been pitted against BJP stalwart Yamuna Singh in Manika while Ramdeo Ganju will contest in Latehar.